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Welcome! I'm Holly. I live in a little slice of heaven in Southern California but I was raised a Midwestern girl. I miss my seasons but I love the ocean, so the trade off works. A few other things I love...

Writing. It's my passion and it makes me tick. Making words come together on a blank page is like magic to me. Words convey everything we can feel, touch, see, smell, and taste. It's an explosion of senses on the page and when it's done well, it can transform you, take you to places you've never been and help you imagine and experience things you never felt. I hope the writing I share with you here will inspire and enlighten and have you feeling ALL. THE. FEELINGS.

My family and friends. NONE of this is possible without them. My children keep me grounded and remind me daily how I really know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Teenagers are such a joy. My husband keeps the laughter alive and after 24 years, that is a talent. My friends offer shoulders, ears and hands to support, listen, agree and build me up when I need it most. The friendships that have been created in this community go above and beyond. I couldn't ask for more.

Jesus. I couldn't put one foot in front of the other without my faith and total belief in Him. I am a Jesus follower. I strive to have a servant's heart and do the things that will make me more like Him. It's a struggle because I fall short every time but He knows it and He gives me grace and loves me anyway. That kind of lesson is one worth learning over and over.

Quiet time. I cherish it. I crave it. I can't function without it. I'm an introvert with some extrovert tendencies. I enjoy lots of friends and large crowds, but only for a short time. Then I need to snuggle in my bed with my most comfy blanket and read read read, and read some more. Or watch Netflix. Or an 80's movie because the 80's ROCKED.

We hope that this space we are creating is one that offers laughter, a knowing nod of your head, a roll of the eyes when appropriate and most of all a place of inspiration, acceptance, and love. Read on dear friends! It is the BEST of times!

Holly

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Hi!! I'm Jenn. Like most women I know, the number of hats that I slip into on an average day is a bit absurd, but I like hats. (And scarves. I LOVE me some scarves!!) But I digress. Every writer does, from time to time, and that's why I'm here, carefully working through my "ABOUT" section.

If you followed our blog when it was It's a Matter of Moments, you know our origin story. We decided to give our blog a facelift and bring a little more focus to the world of writing, not just our book, but writing for record's sake. Visitors will find the same stories about the hair-pulling and teeth-gnashing that comes with raising teens, and balancing the ever-shifting responsibilities of being a mom with a job and a dream, but we will also be sharing insights and trends relating to the writing process and the road to publication.

But the SCARIEST most exciting addition to our blog is the podcast. Stay tuned for more on that because I really can't say much more without getting a little nauseous. Holly - the one I blame for somehow convincing me that it's a good idea to record our voices and send them through cybersphere for the world to enjoy criticize - may have more to share. In the meantime, send a little prayer up to the heavens that podcasting will be kind to these two writers.

2019 is going to be a big year...I can already tell. I have a daughter in college, totally managing her emerging adulthood. My middle just started driving and now he's free to explore places on his own. I still ask to tag along so I can check for bad guys and safeguard against any potential hazards. My baby is now in high school, AKA, the realm where it's not cool to like/hug/hang with your mom. But all in all, they amaze me daily and I know how lucky I am to be theirs.

Sometimes, how fast the circle spins feels like lime juice in a paper cut, and it doesn't matter that the lime is for the vodka cocktail I need to help me cope with ALL THE EMOTIONS. And sometimes, the passing time elicits a sigh of contentment because, yes, I claim partial credit for growing them up good. So that brings me here: my refuge and creative outlet, the place to safely share how messy life is and how absolutely blessed I am to sift through it with a beautiful and bold tribe.

So thank YOU for all of your continued love and for joining a tale of two writers. It is the best of times!!

Love,
Jenn

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April 1, 2014 - UPDATE - It's a Matter of Moments

There comes a time when the "ABOUT" page on a website needs an overhaul. It's not an easy task. When Holly and I began our blogging journey in 2012, almost a year before actually unleashing It's a Matter of Moments for the world (our tolerant and supportive friends and family) to see, we spent DAYS creating this introduction. In fact, we thought it was quite clever.

Now that we have been blogging just over a year, some things ABOUT us have changed. So we bring to you an addendum to our original list. Please note, all of the original tenets of the list apply.

1. We have written a book together. It's book one of a series (we have a synopsis for book two) about a group of college students who discover that they have been brought together at Yale to develop their supernatural powers in order to fulfill a three-hundred year old legend that will ultimately restore humanity. The genre in New Adult magical realism and it is told from the perspectives of Emily - the Healer, and John - the Listener, who fall in love while learning how to harness their powers. With a blend of contemporary fantasy, romance and historical fiction, POWER OF 7 will appeal to fans of recent hits like The Mortal Instruments and classics such as Harry Potter and Twilight. (Yes, we really did attempt to create the TRIFECTA!) What can I say, we write what we LOVE!

2. We are actively seeking representation by a literary agent. That's typically the first step of getting traditionally published. Three agents are currently reviewing our FULL manuscript, all 84,000 words of it. Our fingers are crossed that one of them will like it enough to work with us but while we wait, we continue to send out sample pages and query letters to agents. You can read more about this process here.

3. We are writing for the Orange County Register and our articles appear most Fridays in the Canyons-local section. We post them here too, or sometimes our extended versions. (You would be surprised how hard it is to limit an article to 550 words.) Our editor, Kelli Hart, is GREAT!

4. We have partnered with some other great bloggers, we are participating in writerly efforts with fellow writer-types, and continue to focus on local outreach, following our goal to make moments matter. And that starts by having faith in God, loving on our families, serving our community and trying to make the world a better place.

If you'd like to us to write for you, or you're interested in writing a guest post for It's a Matter of Moments, please email us. We'd love to connect with you!

Thanks for visiting!

{Jenn and Holly}

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January 1, 2013

Welcome...thanks for visiting. We began this endeavor many, many months ago with some big ideas and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. After quite a bit of soul-searching and intentional plotting, we are finally here, ready to share what we're all about. To make it easy, we offer this list:

1. We are Holly and Jenn. We are great friends and we're in this together.

2. We are moms and wives and sisters and friends. We are inspired to make all of our moments matter, whether they're with our husbands, our children, our family members, our friends, or simply enjoying something lovely, like spending time with YOU!

3. We are Christians. We are inspired by the beauty of God's GREAT earth and with that, we include BIG things like relationships, outreach and love, and also little things like Pinterest and books and blogs...almost anything with an offering of beautiful inspiration.

4. We are lovers of all things literary. We read and write with abandon which means late nights, lots of caffeine, and a compulsion to one day, pen a creation worthy of placement between a hard-bound cover.

5. We LOVE lists. We are inventors, followers, crosser-outers and slaves to our lists, like to-do's, groceries, must-read books, blog post ideas, resolutions, the LIST goes on. In fact, you are reading one of our most TRUE and important lists.

6. We are flawed. We are searching for our rhythm. We are constantly looking for ways to improve ourselves, make our lives run more smoothly, and still have time to do the things that make us who we are.

7. We are aiming for AUTHENTIC - always. We are a little nervous about this BIG blog world and we promise to be honest and real about our journey. Any feedback is welcome but we would be especially grateful for the positive type, seeing that we're feeling all open and vulnerable here.

8. We are dreamers and treasure-hunters. We have visions of where we're going and who we want to be. We have a deep-routed and sincere wish for this to be a place to encourage, inform and maybe help you chase a dream or two.

9. We are Holly and Jenn and we look forward to trading our tips and treasures throughout all those moments that matter. We hope that you will join us.

We are Holly and Jenn, friends since our teens were in kinder and writing partners since we learned of a shared dream and were brave enough to chase it. Currently obsessed with hot tea, rainy days, lovely writing and Netflix, you will find us contemplating ALL the things here on our blog. We write YA fiction and hope to bring insight, inspiration, and a healthy dose of levity to other writers on the path to publication. It is the best of times.